登录:     

Forum: General Discussion

Topic: Some real beginner questions.

由于该帖子已年深日久，可能包含陈旧过时或描述错误的信息。

Hi all, let me start off by saying I apologize if these are questions that come up regularly and if I ask some stupid things.

Basically I'm currently in college doing a basic computing course, and I got thinking the other day that I don't really want to spend my life looking into the side of a PC or sat behind a desk in an office. And with me being a big fan of music the idea of doing something along the DJ & Sound Engineer route seemed rather obvious, how ever here comes the extremely difficult bit. . . Getting started.

This is something I would commit to long term but have some questions that I hope some of you fine people may be able to help me with:

MAC or PC ?
I have used PC's all my life how ever a MAC is always something I have been interested in, how ever which would be the "weapon of choice" for this route ?

Recommended specs?
If the route to go is PC what specs should I look for? And if MAC would be the way to go, would a MacBook be sufficient as funds wouldn't allow for anything of a higher spec unfortunatly.

Other equipment?
I have never done anything such as DJing and am rather clueless as to the extra equipment that I will need, and have to learn to use.

And last of all (For the minute) is DJing on a laptop something that can be learnt at home?


Last but not least I want to thank any one and every one who looks / replies to this as it is much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Matt.
 
发表时间 Fri 31 Oct 08 @ 6:09 pm
its too late matt.... you are destined for a life looking into the side of a PC and/or behind the desk in an office.

if you are lucky you will be able to look into the side of a mac.

whatever setup you get, get the best of everything.
best processor, most RAM, best video card, best sound card, fastest hard drive, etc.

where else are you supposed to learn Djing on a laptop? in the park? at the zoo?

if you cant hack the basic college puter courses you wont be able to hack the multiple alterations and combinations necessary to become a successful VDJ, let alone get the software and hardware to run together and set up all of the equipment if you happen to get a gig.

dont give up on college just yet. stomp through your current courses or change majors.

but if you are realistic about it and just want to begin messing with music and VDJ in your sparetime, its simple--get a laptop with the abovementioned specs, a copy of VDJ, an all in one controller, a set of speakers, headphones, and a mic.

you are now your biggest fan.
 
Thanks for the reply Adam,

The course I'm on is very simple but due to my lack of attendance at school it was all I could get on for this year, I have no intention of quitting college. I am mainly looking into something like this as next year there are some Music related courses I can take, and at the moment I have so much spare time this could be something that could fill my time but also can help me out in the future.

And yes I suppose the "Can I learn at home" question was abit stupid. :)

As to hardware I understand the theory behind get the best you can how ever due to funds I would be looking more towards getting what can do what I want it to so if anyone could tell me the sort of specs on a MAC I should look for that would be really helpful. Also if anyone could share any link(s) to any all in one controllers etc as I am not sure as to what I'm looking for.

All of this has to be done on as much of a budget as possible but still want something that I can grow into.

As always many thanks for reading, and I apologize if any of this isn't clear.

Regards,
Matt.
 
This is what you do...

Get Virtual DJ

Play with it to learn HOW to DJ. If you find that you like it and have a knack for it, THEN invest in DJ Gear.

Trial version of Virtual DJ is cool but limited. Pro version is GREAT. Cracked version is BAD BAD BAD.
 
uuuuuhhhhhh good question dude , and good answers .......

i took some networking courses a few years ago and was considering getting an MCSE .......

there's a reason so many IT guys (almost no women) are gamers .....something to do for the boredom .....

it pays good and many will think you a genius (but a nerd) ......

BUTT........ it is VERY boring waiting for all those commands , downloads , installs , reboots .........

if you get the overnight ..... no life even at work , while you do the backups and upgrades .......
 
Thanks for the replies, and yeah you're right I wasn't going to jump into it head first and buy a lot of expensive equipment (mainly because I can't afford it) how ever a MAC was going to be an investment and something I have wanted for a while.

My last and sort of major question is what specs would I need on a MAC not only for DJing, but just to be able to do things with out it being incredibly slow. Would it be possible to buy something like a second hand iBook with out it being to slow?

If someone could please give me the specs IE recommended processor speed, amount of RAM etc I would be eternally greatful.

And no I wouldn't even consider a cracked version, I'm a firm believer in that a product should be paid for if you want to use it.

One again, many thanks.
Matt.

EDIT: After looking around I see there is no trial for MAC, so I guess I would have to use Bootcamp. The above question still applies. :)
 
If you want to just get a MAC, my suggestion to save up for the best you can get. Do not buy what you can afford, because it is already outdated, and you are gonna wish you had gotten the higher end model anyway. It will not matter, because even when you buy the top of the line model, a new one will come out right after you pluck your money down. This goes for any equipment you buy. As for being a DJ, do a little more research. Did you just wake up one day, and say, I want to be a DJ? Or is it something you have been looking into for a while? Why not try to hook up with a DJ in your area, so you can get a first hand look at what is required? Ask yourself if this is a passion or a faze. Faze can turn into passion, but you need to figure this out. Don't just start buying stuff, until you are sure of what it is you need to buy. If you are serious about being a DJ, than download the demo, and practice. Demo other software, to see which one fits. Than practice some more, it never ends. You may be able to learn from someone in your area. You may be able to fill in, or get a small gig of your own. When the time comes, you will work hard to, to feed your habit. The music and toys keep coming.
 
Thanks for the reply,

Yeah I must admit this is something that I really have thought about for a while and if I'm honest I thought it would be a great excuse to invest in a MAC. It not only would be something to kill my boredem how ever would be a great social tool and something me and a few friends used to talk about, and it's something that I would really love to follow up.

I can see the point with the whole save up thing, how ever in my current situation saving up for something top of the line and new would mean that I wouldn't get my foot on the ladder for a long long time that is why I am looking for something that I can learn on for the minute.

Anyway thanks for the replies, and once again if anyone could post some recommended specs that would be so helpful.
Matt.
 
What do u want to achieve with a mac? A mere old macbook is already enough;)

Check out the new macbook n the macbook pro, i'm sure u will like them..hehe.

macbook = audio + basic video
macbook pro = audio + advanced video (heavy usage)

Regards;)
 
Yeah to be honest I really LOVE the newer MacBooks I think they are beautiful pieces of hardware, to be honest to start with to "dip my toe in the water" I was looking at a iBook G4 but I am not sure if they will run this kind of software?

This is the main thing it will be used for, apart from this it will be just internet use how ever mainly music.

Regards,
Matt.
 
Minimum System Requirements:

- G4/G5 1.5 Ghz OR Intel Core Duo 1.66 Ghz and higher
- MAC OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard)
- 512 Mb RAM

But using VDJ pro/full Cue, the recommended specs are as below

Mac OSX 10.4.7 or higher
Mac/Intel Core Duo 2.0 GHz or higher
1 GB RAM or higher

It best to invest in the macbook rather than the ibook, that is my honest opinion;)
 
You see, if you were serious, you would not care about the money. Put that MAC on a credit card, and be done with it. Stop spending money on food, because the next thing you know, you are sitting on a toilet, and flushing it all away. Food is highly overrated, anyway. Get in debt like the rest of the world, you could be dead by the time the bill comes. Really, either save up for what you want, or put it on a credit card. Otherwise, your garage will be full of stuff you could afford, because you will end up getting what you want, anyway. I don't own a MAC so can not advise you on the specs you should get.
 
Thanks for that spinnaJ that's what I was looking for, much appreciated. The way to go I think would be a MacBook for me.

And thanks for your replies A Man And His Music how ever I'm not in a position where I can just dump it on a card and pay for it later, or I would trust me.

Many thanks everyone, I think that I have got all the answers I need for now. Many thanks for being so helpful.

Many thanks,
Matt.
 
djcity wrote :
This is what you do...

Get Virtual DJ

Play with it to learn HOW to DJ. If you find that you like it and have a knack for it, THEN invest in DJ Gear.

Trial version of Virtual DJ is cool but limited. Pro version is GREAT. Cracked version is BAD BAD BAD.


I totally agree with this!! I purchased the software + a good sound card with dedicated in /outs, and then went about squeezing everything I could out of it. When the time came to look at hardware and pc upgrade, it was easier to justify spending as much as I could and then more!!
 
I'm a Mac user. I don't remember when Mac switched from the PowerPC processor to the Intel processor. Whenever it was I don't think the iBook was made with the Intel processor. Whether you go with a new or used Mac, get one with the Intel processor. If you're interested in an external controller, I would suggest the Hercules RMX. It's bundled with VDJ LE. I think that package runs around $300 or $350. Once you mess around with it at home, if you decide this is something you want to get serious about, you can upgrade to the pro version of VDJ for an additional $50 (VDJ Pro is $300 by itself).

Another thing to add about getting a Mac... you mentioned in your original post getting into sound engineering. If you're going to use a laptop for this, you should go with a MacBook Pro. You'd need that extra power for those app's.

Like others suggested, I wouldn't run out and buy a lot of equipment until you mess around at home and see if this is something you truly want to do. I've seen more than a few cat's in your current position run out and spend a bunch of loot on stuff they never took out of the house. I totally agree with A Man And His Music, when he suggested that you hook up with some local DJ's. It will give you a better idea of what exactly it is that DJ's do. It's way more than the time at the event. I want to add to that suggestion by saying you should hook up with DJ's that do different things. Club jocks and mobile DJ's share the name DJ, but there are huge differences between them.

I'm glad to hear you don't plan to bootleg VDJ. Please do the same when it comes to acquiring your music collection. Not saying you will, it's just very tempting to get all that music out there without paying for it. Illegal music swapping has hurt DJ's that run a legit business. Probably not as much now as it did 4 or 5 years ago (the cream has risen to the top), but it's still a factor we have to deal with.

Practice is the key to being a good DJ. Good luck!
 


(陈旧帖子或论坛版块会自动关闭)